'Screaming' boyfriend burned himself to death outside ex-lover’s house after she dumped him by text

Tragic: Maysam Mayani set himself on fire after being told his relationship with girlfriend Sona Khamseh was over

A jilted boyfriend set himself alight outside his former lover’s house after she dumped him by text, an inquest has heard.

'Volatile' Maysam Mayani, 26, drove to Sona Khamseh’s flat in Chelsea, west London, and texted her to say she should ‘come and get his dead body’.

A witness described hearing him ‘screaming’ and seeing him ‘completely ablaze’, and was unable to tell if it was a man or a woman.

Miss Khamseh had sent him a text earlier that day ending their relationship as her father did not approve and warning him about an on-going harassment court case relating to the couple's tempestuous relationship, the inquest was told.

She told him: ‘You have to go because I can’t, Maysam, sorry.’

Westminster Coroner’s Court heard how Mr Mayani had a history of depression and several attempted suicides during his relationship with Miss Khamseh.

Last October, he called Miss Khamseh to tell her he was on Westminster Bridge and he was going to jump off, but she went to the scene and managed to talked him down.

Before that, he told her he was going to take an overdose because she did not love him any more, and hostel workers then found him in his room with pills.

He was ‘very up and down’ in his moods and would suddenly become ‘verbally aggressive’, she told a police officer after the incident.

Share this article

The inquest heard there had been some difficulties between the pair and there was an on-going harassment case in Newcastle.

On the day of his death, 25 November last year, there were ‘various texts culminating in a text saying she should 'come and get his dead body’.

He had texted: ‘The end, but very sad. You may see me one more time which is my dead body.’

A statement read out from eyewitness Daisy Alexander said she had left her house and seen Mr Mayani ‘completely ablaze and screaming.’

She covered him with her coat but ‘didn’t know whether it was male or female because they were covered in flames’.

He suffered severe burns to 90 per cent of his body, and died later in hospital.

Troubled past: The inquest heard how Mr Mayani had been talked out of jumping off Westminster Bridge by his former girlfriend Miss Khamseh

PC Alanna Harris, who spoke to his ex-girlfriend after the incident, said: ‘I think she found it very hard because she did very much love him but the fact that her father was really against her seeing him - she was very much torn.

'She spoke to him about this and it made him very upset when she said she would not be able to see him.’

Coroner Dr William Dolman said: ‘He had a troubled life... He was suffering because of his physical disabilities present since birth.

‘He clearly was a volatile character prone to depression and had a difficult relationship with a girlfriend which involved the courts.

‘He had previous episodes of threatening to take his own life with an overdose of drugs, or threats to jump off Westmister Bridge.’

Recording a verdict of death by severe burns, he added that he had killed himself and that he was ‘sure that he intended the result of his actions’.

The inquest heard Mr Mayani worked for an oil company in Iran, but fled in 2006 due to political unrest and was granted indefinite leave to stay in the UK.

He lived in Newcastle, where he met Miss Khamseh, before moving to London.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details

Share or comment on this article:

Maysam Mayani: Jilted boyfriend set himself alight after she dumped him by text